


pretty red

by halfthemoon



Category: TOMORROW X TOGETHER | TXT (Korea Band)
Genre: Blushing, Canon Compliant, Fluff, Kissing, M/M, Mutual Pining, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, i don't know what to tag im sorry, just yeonbin being disgustingly in love, kissing foreplay ?? is that a tag
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-30
Updated: 2020-05-30
Packaged: 2021-03-03 01:20:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,702
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24456601
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/halfthemoon/pseuds/halfthemoon
Summary: Soobin became obsessed with making Yeonjun blush. It was like he couldn’t get enough of it. The pretty red on his cheeks, because ofhim.Sometimes he just wanted to touch it, holding it underneath his fingertips, the tinted crimson. Yeonjun was always pretty but he lookedlovelywith the blush, like something straight out of a painting.
Relationships: Choi Soobin/Choi Yeonjun
Comments: 40
Kudos: 1229





	pretty red

**Author's Note:**

> hi! i just wanna say that english isn't my first language and this is unedited, so i'm very sorry for any grammatical errors! also, this is purely self-indulgent and i didn't plan for it to be this long, my original draft was only 1k but i kept adding scenes and here we are! that's it hehe please enjoy, don't expect anything good out of this i don't know how to write! hope you like it! ♡

The first time Soobin realized, it was at the dance studio.

They just finished practicing - Beomgyu on the floor panting, Hueningkai gulping down his water, and Taehyun leaning on the mirror, catching his breath.

Soobin was standing by the side, watching, making sure they didn’t rush and had a proper cool down. After a few minutes and his own breathing had slowed down, they bid their goodbyes and waved – Beomgyu and Hueningkai said they wanted to buy snacks, and Taehyun was going to take a bath.

He only realized then, that Yeonjun was still laying down, his arm covering his forehead, his beanie stretched down to the bridge of his nose. Soobin noticed the slow intake of breaths, how his ribs went up and down, _up and down,_ steadily underneath his hoodie.

“Hyung, you okay?” Soobin took a seat beside him, holding out his phone. He needed to monitor their practice for today.

Yeonjun didn’t say anything, but gave him a thumbs up.

They had improved a lot, he observed, as he watched them on his screen. They could do better, of course, they always _could,_ but this was an improvement he thought they should all be proud of.

Soobin was too focused on the video that he barely registered another body had slided next to him. Yeonjun put his chin on Soobin’s shoulder, one hand circling around his torso, pulling him close. As Soobin took a short look at him, he noticed that Yeonjun was looking intently at the screen.

Yeonjun talked after that, commenting on things they should definitely improve tomorrow, and on things that they had accomplished today. It was always nice to hear Yeonjun’s input, because he was _honest,_ and he wanted nothing but the best for them. Soobin listened to him intently, appreciating his advice and encouragement. At the end of it, Soobin put the phone down and Yeonjun kept talking, now not only about their dancing, but about _him._

Soobin nodded along his story, happy to just listen, letting him talk about his day. Sometimes, his frustration seeped through his voice, and Soobin understood it was some sort of outlet, for him to talk to Soobin like this, a safe place of Yeonjun’s that only Soobin knew. Soobin understood – it wasn’t like Yeonjun didn’t trust the others, but they were closer in age, and he knew Yeonjun probably took his title as ‘oldest hyung’ to the heart, and he didn’t want their younger members to know if he was struggling.

After Yeonjun stopped talking, seemingly had poured his heart out, he stayed quiet, just for a little while, as if he was gathering his thoughts – then, he asked Soobin if he wanted to talk too. Soobin did, and as he started to speak, Yeonjun pulled him even closer, now burying his head to the crook of his neck and his breathing became an anchor that pulled Soobin down as the stress spilled out of his mouth.

“Thanks, hyung.” Soobin said sincerely.

Yeonjun squeezed him. “Thanks, too.”

They spent a minute after just basking in each other’s presence and Soobin thought it was nice, the way Yeonjun felt against him, _warm._

“Soobinnie.” Yeonjun said, pinching his cheek. “Why are you so _squishy._ ”

“I’m going to get even more squishy if you keep pinching my cheek.”

“Good, then you’ll get _cuter._ ”

Soobin felt himself blush profusely. Yeonjun kept doing this to him, going out of his way to compliment him, doting him, touching his face and his hand as if his life depended on it. It was nice, of course, but Soobin got easily flustered, and he didn’t want the older to know the effect that he had on him. If Yeonjun kept doing this to him, one day he was going to explode.

He tried to disentangle himself, but Yeonjun only tugged him closer that he gave up easily. It wasn’t his fault Yeonjun was like a damn koala.

“Jun-hyung,” Soobin whined, eyes closing in embarrassment. “Why do you keep doing this to _me._ ”

“Doing what exactly, Soobinnie?”

Soobin didn’t have to open his eyes to know that mirth in his eyes, the teasing lilt of his lips. He knew it all too well.

“ _This._ ”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Yeah, _sure_ you don’t.”

“I just love teasing you. You’re cute.”

“Mhmhm.”

“You _are._ ”

Soobin just blushed deeper. He didn’t want to, but he couldn’t help the heat spreading across his face.

“Soobinnie.”

“What.”

“C _utie._ ”

“Whatever.” Soobin managed to pull himself out of Yeonjun’s embrace before he could get flustered any further.

Soobin patted his jeans for his phone and for a moment he forgot where it was, but then he remembered putting it down right after he finished monitoring their dance. He leaned over to get his phone because it was just beside Yeonjun’s lap, his body going across Yeonjun’s – and for a moment, Soobin felt like blacking out.

Because as he looked up, he was staring right at Yeonjun’s bright red face.

Yeonjun’s eyes were wide and round, and his lips were parted, as though he was surprised. Their eyes met for a second, but then Yeonjun averted his gaze, to somewhere behind Soobin that he couldn’t see.

At first, Soobin was confused. Didn’t even realize why, his eyebrows furrowing together as he kept staring at Yeonjun’s face - the pretty red on his cheeks, his hitched breath.

But then it dawned on him. Their faces were inches apart.

If he wanted to, he could just lean in and kiss him.

Soobin took his time, slowly, to look at Yeonjun’s flushed cheeks, the tension visible on his face. It was rare to see him like this, like he was _shy._ Yeonjun wasn’t looking at him - even making a conscious effort not to.

He blinked, trying to process this newfound information. That Yeonjun just _blushed_ because of their close approximity, that Soobin didn’t even really do _anything_ for him to turn red like this. Yeonjun was always so confident, his moves sharp, his gaze enticing – but never had Soobin seen him like this, so flustered, so _different._ He decided he liked it. Liked it so much, even, that he couldn’t stop staring.

Amused, Soobin made a mental note to himself.

“Hyung, come on.” He got up, pocketing his phone as he held out his other hand to Yeonjun. “Let’s get back. It’s late.”

Yeonjun just stared him for a second, looking like he was just in a haze, before he shook his head and accepted his hand. He was back to normal after that, suggesting that they have ice cream first before they go to bed, and Soobin agreed easily.

But Soobin couldn’t stop thinking about Yeonjun’s blushing face - not when the first spoon of ice cream land on his tongue, not when Yeonjun said goodnight and went to his room,

not even when he was on his bed, not until drowsiness lull him to sleep.

*

Soobin tested his theory the next day.

They finished dinner and he let the others go because he felt like they had done good today, and he could handle a few dishes. Beomgyu stayed just for the sentimentality but he ended up not doing anything, simply talked with him until Soobin saw through it and shush him away. Beomgyu didn’t even argue and left, his laugh ringing obnoxiously through their dorm.

Yeonjun came back, though, he said he went to his room just to get his phone. He placed himself beside him and started helping, his hands covered in foam.

For a while it was silent, just them cleaning the dirty plates, until Yeonjun spoke.

“That was sweet of you. To let them go. Even when they’re brats.”

“Yeah, well.” Soobin shrugged, feeling the telltale of a blush creeping to his neck at the compliment. He wished Yeonjun wouldn’t notice. “They practiced hard.”

“I know. They really did.”

“You did too, you know. You didn’t have to help.”

“But I want to.”

“If you insist.”

Yeonjun nudged his shoulder with his. “You practiced hard too. Who’s going to take care of you if you’re too busy taking care of us, _hmm_?”

Soobin’s face heated up involuntarily, like it always did when he was on the receiving end of Yeonjun’s attention, but he let out a soft laugh. “You need to stop that. One day.”

“Stop _what_?” It was there again, the teasing, wrapped around his voice. Soobin didn’t understand why it was attractive to him – the cockiness, the confidence, and even when he was looking at the overflowing water, he knew Yeonjun’s eyes would be glinting.

“You know _what_ , hyung.”

Yeonjun didn’t answer but he laughed at him, spraying him with the foam on his hands, the soapy water drenching his own sleeves. Soobin splashed him with water to get him back and it turned into a fight - Soobin closing his eyes to avoid getting soap in his eyes and his hands holding Yeonjun in place.

Yeonjun was stronger than he looked and it was difficult to make him stop attacking him with the fucking foam, but in one brave second, Soobin opened his eyes and pinned him against the sink.

The attack stopped almost immediately.

Soobin’s hand was placed on the sink just beside Yeonjun’s hip, and the other is circled around Yeonjun’s wrist, holding him still.

When he looked up, Yeonjun was blushing.

The pretty red on his cheeks came back, just like yesterday, the same image Soobin couldn’t get out of his head last night.

Yeonjun’s lips were parted again. Plump, crimson, inviting.

Soobin just needed to lean in, he realized. He just needed to lean in to capture him in a kiss. And he wanted to.

But he didn’t – he was too busy staring at Yeonjun’s blush up close, the small puff of breaths he let out, like he was nervous.

Soobin marveled in it, by how pliant Yeonjun looked, that he didn’t even need to hold his wrist with much power anymore because Yeonjun just _let_ him.

“Soobinnie...”

That voice wasn’t teasing anymore; it was soft, in a whisper, like a plea.

Soobin heard it. Heard what he meant.

But he was too much of a coward, feeling his confidence shrinking even as he stared at Yeonjun - the pretty red, still tinted on his cheeks, realizing that it was because of _him._ Soobin wanted to touch him, wanted to grip his hipbone, wished to pepper kisses to his cheeks, down to his jaw, the juncture of his neck. At this moment, there was nothing that Soobin wanted _more_ than to feel Yeonjun on his lips, the pretty red on his mouth, to shut Yeonjun up and make him feel what he felt inside – fireworks that coiled hot through his veins.

Soobin wanted all of that, but before he could think about it too much, he released his hold and sprayed him with the foam. “Ha! I won.”

Yeonjun looked taken aback, blinking his eyes. He recovered quickly, and just like that the usual grin was back on his lips as he wiped his wet hands all over Soobin’s dry sleeves. “Are you _sure_?”

They went to start fighting again until their clothes were too wet and Yeonjun started to shiver.

Soobin shivered too, but for a different reason entirely.

*

Soobin became obsessed with making Yeonjun blush. It was like he couldn’t get enough of it. The pretty red on his cheeks, because of _him._ Sometimes he just wanted to touch it, holding it underneath his fingertips, the tinted crimson. Yeonjun was always pretty but he looked _lovely_ with the blush, like something straight out of a painting.

He did it whenever he got the chance. Whenever Yeonjun became _too_ cocky, _too_ flirty, Soobin would just lean in. Lean in _close_ enough, until their eyes met, finally shutting Yeonjun up, and Soobin would just _stare._ Stunned at the way his plump cheeks reddened the closer he got.

Some days, he wondered about the red on his lips too.

*

It happened again when they were watching a movie together in the living room. Soobin, Yeonjun, and Taehyun were crammed on the sofa, while Beomgyu and Hueningkai were on the floor, leaning on their legs.

They were watching an action movie, a title he didn’t even remember, but it was quite entertaining. He kept dozing off, and in the middle of it, when the two main characters were dramatically exchanging goodbyes, Yeonjun’s hand that was previously on his shoulder came up to his ear, and then cheek, _pinching_.

“ _Soobinnie.”_ Yeonjun whispered, teasing. “ _Baby_.”

His heart raced, like it was going to beat right out of his chest. He knew the others heard it too with the way Beomgyu looked up to see what was going on, Hueningkai following suit. Even Taehyun sent them a side glance, his brow shooting up, but as always, there was that knowing look in his eyes.

Soobin was embarrassed, sure that his whole face was red. It wasn’t that he was embarrassed of Yeonjun or anything, it just felt like as if his feelings were being publicly outed, because there was _no way_ they didn’t know Soobin was so fucking gone for Yeonjun.

Hueningkai politely ducked his gaze and looked back at the television, but Beomgyu kept staring, tilting his head, _challenging_ , as if he was telling Soobin to get back at Yeonjun.

Soobin hated this. Hated that Yeonjun always revelled in Soobin’s bashfulness, hated that he found joy in making Soobin a flustered mess.

He didn’t give in. Instead, he turned his head to look back at him, their faces inches apart, just a breath away –

“Yeah, hyung?”

Yeonjun sunk back, retreating his hand as if he had been burned. His eyes were round, glassy, _surprised_. Soobin cornered him like that to the edge of the sofa, leaning in, _just_ a little, staring right at his eyes.

For a moment, Soobin forgot where he was. Their eyes met, but Yeonjun averted his gaze, as usual, to somewhere on his left, and this time Soobin didn’t let him get away with it. He followed his gaze so their eyes could meet again, and as they did, Soobin whispered, in the same teasing way Yeonjun did before.

“What is it, _baby_?”

Soobin could hear Beomgyu’s snicker, but all he could pay attention to was the rising color on Yeonjun’s cheeks, _pretty red._

*

Soobin didn’t drink much.

But when he did, he felt like floating.

It wasn’t even anything fancy, just a beer they bought at the grocery store. They shared one bottle, and still, Soobin felt _nice_ as though there were stars dancing behind his eyelids.

God, he was such a lightweight.

That was fine, though, because Yeonjun was the same. They were in Yeonjun’s room, leaning against his bed, sitting on the floor with their legs stretching across the carpet. It was a bit uncomfortable, with the bed frame on his neck, but Soobin still felt dizzy and like he could do anything.

Right now, though, he just wanted to enjoy the silence with Yeonjun.

No one spoke for a few minutes, just them breathing with each other, the atmosphere calm and pleasant. He needed this, even for a small moment, after the stressful week they had just went through. Soobin knew Yeonjun felt it too, the _pressure,_ and he was good at hiding it, but Soobin had long learned how to see right through it.

“You know,” Yeonjun said and it sounded raspy, like he had just lost his voice. He found it sexy for some reason. “Don’t get me wrong. I know I’m _good,_ but.”

Soobin scoffed, finding it funny despite himself, probably because of the alcohol, but he had always liked his confidence, finding comfort in knowing that Yeonjun recognized his worth.

“I _know_ I can do a lot better. It’s like - I see myself performing and I know I did good but I can’t help thinking there were parts I could’ve done _better_ , or just – maybe if I did _this,_ instead of _that_... or, I don’t know. I just want to be – _perfect,_ I guess.”

Yeonjun was rambling, Soobin could tell, his words slurring together. Idly, he noticed that their shoulders were bumping, but he still scooted closer, craving for his warmth.

Soobin thought about Yeonjun. His eyes, his lips, his soft hands - _always_ helping, _always_ seeking, never faltered in supporting the group’s back. He thought about his kind smile, his laugh, his voice, the way he closed his eyes when he was overwhelmed. He thought about his touch, the way he shivered when they got too close.

Soobin thought about the pretty red of his cheeks and it made him blush, too.

“You are.” Soobin said, not because of anything, but because it was true.

“Huh?”

“You are.” Soobin repeated, smiling to the ceiling. “You want to be perfect. But you already _are_.”

The silence stretched out after but he didn’t mind.

“Soobinnie.”

Yeonjun hugged him sideway, one arm on his stomach, his forehead resting on Soobin’s shoulder. He heard him exhale - _long,_ dragged out.

“You’re _...”_ He nuzzled his shirt, gripping him tighter. “You’re _so..._ ”

“So?”

“I don’t know. You’re just _so_.”

Soobin let himself sink further, to his embrace, to his soft breathing. Sometimes, it got too much. Just how much Soobin _wanted_. This. _Him._

Yeonjun held his cheek, pinching it, murmuring against his arm. “You’re _cute_ , you know.”

Even with the alcohol, Soobin still felt himself getting flustered.

“Sometimes you’re just _so_ cute and I don’t know what to do...” His voice was teasing, playful, _familiar_. “Do you know that?”

“Yeah,” Soobin said, just to be a brat. But he also knew that to be true, and the knowledge that Yeonjun’s flirting and teasing could break even if Soobin simply met his eyes back made him braver than he actually felt. “Hyung, I feel that way too, you know.”

“Hm?” Yeonjun hummed, clearly taken aback, like he wasn’t expecting Soobin to actually answer.

“It goes both ways.” Soobin closed his eyes, still felt like he was floating, and he let his body do what it wanted – his hand springing up and cupping Yeonjun’s neck, his thumb prodding his jaw, feeling a pulse point. He whispered, completely vulnerable. “Sometimes I don’t know what to do with you, hyung.”

Yeonjun went still, his breath going harsher, and suddenly Soobin was aware of every parts of their bodies that were touching and he couldn’t think clearly through the cloud of the beer, through his hunger, the yearn to _touch_ and _unravel._

Soobin pulled him closer until he could feel his breath on his mouth, Yeonjun’s hair on his cheek, and before he knew it – he was kissing Yeonjun’s skin, just below his jaw, trailing down to his neck.

It was hot, how Yeonjun gripped his hand, how he exhaled, _breathless,_ shaking at the way Soobin was leaving open mouthed kisses on the plane of his neck, teeth leaving marks on his skin. Heady, his head was filled with nothing but want, the desire to be _closer_ until he was left with nothing else but _Yeonjun_ in his mouth.

Yeonjun was trembling, his hands now on Soobin’s waist, and Soobin wouldn’t know how to stop even if he tried. Not when Yeonjun sounded this good, not when he tasted _sweet_ , his tongue laving over a sensitive spot and Yeonjun quivered, a shaky sigh escaping his lips, until it _broke_ and became desperate.

It was overwhelming, the way Yeonjun felt against him, their bodies intertwining but not close _enough,_ the sound of his own heartbeat loud to his own ears. Soobin had his eyes closed, couldn’t feel anything but _Yeonjun,_ his body, his warmth, the slow caresses on Soobin’s waist like an encouragement to keep going. It seemed like Yeonjun didn’t even realize he was doing it, as if the drive to touch Soobin was simply ingrained inside of him.

Soobin couldn’t remember how they got into this position, him pinning Yeonjun against the bed frame, Yeonjun’s head splayed on the sheet. Soobin pulled back, just a little, to look at Yeonjun, and his breath was caught in his throat.

Yeonjun looked completely out of it. He was _dazed_ , looking right at him with half-lidded eyes, the same pretty red dusting on his cheeks.

 _Yeonjun was pretty_. Soobin had always known that, but right now, _here,_ underneath Soobin with a glazed look in his eyes, he thought he looked _majestic._ As though he didn’t deserve to look at him.

“Hyung,” Soobin said but he didn’t have anything to say. He just wanted to call him, fondness bubbling inside of him that he felt like crying. A tender kiss on his cheek, right on his blush, and he could feel Yeonjun’s eyelids fluttering open, _slow,_ as if he was waking up.

“Mhmhm, _yes_?”

He wanted to say a lot of things. He wanted to say, _I like seeing you like this._ He wanted to say, _You sound good when you’re breathless._ Most of all, he wanted to say, _I think I may like you a little bit._

But he was too much of a coward, always, so he swallowed his feelings up, bottling them in his chest, and continued kissing Yeonjun – his jaw, his brow bone, and lastly the red on his cheeks, the place he wanted most.

He didn’t remember much after that, but he woke up on the floor a few hours later, cuddling against a sleeping Yeonjun. He listened to his slow breathing before going back to sleep, his head hammering loudly, a name and a pretty blush etched on his mind.

*

They were in the dance studio alone, just the two of them, and Soobin was on the floor trying to catch his breath, meanwhile Yeonjun was still practicing one of their songs. He always looked so intense like this, his gaze sharp, focused, his body moving like water, the passion apparent in each steps. Soobin could watch him all day.

Yeonjun was wearing his black and white stripe shirt, the one where its sleeves were longer than his arms and gave him sweater paws. It was such a contrast, seeing him dance with that piercing stare while wearing the shirt, that it made Soobin dizzy.

After a bit, Yeonjun stopped and turned off the music. It became silent then, and Soobin watched him drink his water, leaning against the mirror, his long legs stretching beneath him.

Soobin didn’t know what it was – if it was his exhaustion or if it was simply because of his hopeless crush, but right now, he just really wanted to kiss him.

It wasn’t even anything much, just a simple look from Yeonjun, that familiar stare, the tight line of his lips. But it reminded him of something, of a memory still burned to the back of his mind, an image he couldn’t stop thinking about.

They didn’t talk about it. What happened at Yeonjun’s room. Soobin thought, maybe, Yeonjun didn’t remember – but sometimes in passing, when he looked at him, there was recognition in his eyes, and Soobin knew that he didn’t forget.

But Yeonjun didn’t say anything, never brought it up, so Soobin shut his mouth too. Maybe Yeonjun wanted to pretend it never happened. Maybe Yeonjun thought it was a dream brought by the alcohol. Maybe Yeonjun simply thought it was a dumb thing between friends. Nevertheless, Soobin could pretend as well, if that was what Yeonjun wanted.

Yeonjun was looking at him, at his spot on the mirror, but there was something there, in his eyes. Something Soobin couldn’t figure out, but somehow was still able to understand.

Before he could really think about it, Soobin brought his feet in front of him, shoving himself right into his personal space. Yeonjun responded by resting one of his hands on Soobin’s waist.

“Soobin,” Yeonjun said, raising a brow. “See something you like?”

It was his usual flirting again, that playful teasing, and usually Soobin would get shy, but right now he didn’t feel it – instead, there was heat in his stomach, something like _yearning_.

Soobin carefully brushed a strand of hair on Yeonjun’s forehead. He felt open, somehow, like it wouldn’t take a lot for Yeonjun to figure out what he was feeling, as though he was an open book. “ _Yeah,_ ” He breathed out, honest.

Yeonjun blinked and pulled them together, their hips aligning, and he leaned back, the back of his head bumping against the mirror.

“Tell me?” Yeonjun said, but it sounded like a request, like a demand. His eyes were glazed, unfocused. “Tell _me_.”

There were a lot of things that Soobin wanted. There was, _You._ There was, _Kiss you_. There was, _See you break apart._

He didn’t say any of it, but he took his time to stare at Yeonjun, until the pretty red was back in his cheeks.

“You’re blushing.” Soobin said, because he couldn’t help it.

“Shut up.”

“Why are you blushing, hyung?” He cradled his face, tilting his head, until his skin was exposed. Yeonjun let him, and Soobin planted a kiss, soft, barely a peck, just underneath his ear. It made Yeonjun gasp, a small whimper from the back of his throat, like he was holding back.

Soobin didn’t really do anything, simply peppering him with short, barely-there kisses across the plane of his neck, his jaw, that soft spot on his shoulder – but it seemed to rile Yeonjun up, that he unintentionally pushed him closer, both of his hands circling around Soobin’s waist.

It was frustrating him, Yeonjun’s _shirt,_ the way the collar was wide enough that he could see his collarbone, devastatingly _more skin._ He nipped at it, slightly, grazing his teeth on the hard bone – eliciting a sharp exhale from Yeonjun, as though the sensation surprised him.

He pulled back, not because he wanted to, but because he really needed to see Yeonjun’s face right now, had to know how he looked like. Yeonjun was looking at him with his half-lidded eyes again, his stare misty. Soobin realized that his lips were parted.

He knew it – that hitched breath, the sudden poke of his finger on Soobin’s hipbone. He knew Yeonjun wanted him to kiss him – knew he was waiting for it, knew he only wanted him to come just a little closer, to feel Soobin’s lips ghosting on his own.

But Soobin was distracted, by the pretty red still imprinted on Yeonjun’s cheeks, and he thought there was no one else in the world that he wanted.

The door was opened loudly and it smacked against the wall, and it took them both by surprise that Yeonjun jolted and his head thumped the mirror.

It was Taehyun and Beomgyu, talking and laughing about something, barely aware of what they just walked in on, but as they looked up and saw them – they closed their mouth immediately.

“Oops.” Beomgyu said usefully.

“Uh.” Taehyun supplied.

Soobin couldn’t think of anything else, except that when he spared Yeonjun a glance, his cheeks were still red.

*

Soobin thought he could go on like this forever but Yeonjun was getting fed up.

They were in the dance studio again and it was at the end of practice. It was a time where they weren’t really practicing together anymore, but they still watched over their reflection in the mirror, trying to perfect their moves.

Yeonjun was messing around with him, hugging him from behind and pinching his cheeks while he cooed, muttering _cutie Soobinnie_ until Soobin felt the heat on his cheeks rose up. He didn’t do anything about it at first, just letting him indulge, until it was _too_ much and he felt embarrassed because everyone was _here,_ and he could hear Beomgyu’s laugh and feel Taehyun and Hueningkai’s knowing look from across the room.

Soobin didn’t think much about it, he just simply turned around, leaning in _just_ enough, their foreheads almost knocking together. When he looked at him, Yeonjun’s face was expectantly red.

What he didn’t expect though, was for Yeonjun to close his eyes tight enough to hurt, and yelled: “ _Can you please stop doing that?!_ ”

Soobin reflexively retreated, stepping back hurriedly that he fell down, landing on his ass. It was deafeningly silent for a moment that all he could hear was his own breathing, until finally the silence broke when Taehyun waved at Beomgyu and Hueningkai, signalling them to leave the room.

The door was closed after them. It was only Yeonjun and Soobin in the studio now.

Yeonjun had his arms crossed and he looked frustrated, almost. Soobin didn’t know what to do. For a moment, he felt a sense of dread. Scared that he had stepped over on a line, that Yeonjun probably hated him now. He knew it was playful, flirty, whatever it was they were doing, but maybe Yeonjun didn’t like it and Soobin should’ve understood better.

“Soobin,” Yeonjun said and it didn’t sound like he was angry, just tired. Of what, Soobin couldn’t figure out. “Why do you keep doing _that_?”

Soobin didn’t know what to answer. He wanted to say, _I like looking at you blush because of me_. He wanted to say, _I loved the way red looked on you._ He wanted to say, _I like feeling close to you._ And maybe, most of all, he wanted to say, _I like you. So much. More than you know._

But they all died in his mouth. Instead, he tried to blabber an apology, afraid of the rejection, afraid of the hurt on Yeonjun’s face.

“Hyung, I’m _sorry_ —”

“But _why_? You’re making me _crazy_ , Soobin, I don’t _understand_ why you keep...” Yeonjun waved his hands, wiping his face in indignation. “Like that time, in my room... When we drink beer. Or in the dance studio, when we were alone. And _you_ —”

Soobin looked at his hands, embarrassed. They still hadn’t talk about it, about what happened at Yeonjun’s room and at the studio, and suddenly it flashed back on his mind - Yeonjun’s little sounds, his half-lidded eyes, the pretty red on his cheeks. He remembered being on top of him, his lips touching Yeonjun’s skin like feathers. The mirror on Yeonjun’s back, that black and white shirt that he liked.

He didn’t want to look at Yeonjun. Scared that he would reject him right here. He thought he could have _this_ , somehow, have _him -_ in this little game of theirs, like playing hide and seek. He got too comfortable in it that he got too _selfish_ , and he kept wanting _more_ , never realizing that Yeonjun probably didn’t want the same.

Soobin closed his eyes, bracing for the upcoming rejection, for Yeonjun’s repulsion. But it didn’t come, and Yeonjun started speaking again.

“I just don’t _understand._ You always act like you wanted to do _it_ , but you just. Don’t. As if you wanted to act on it, but just _stopped_ in the last second.”

Soobin’s eyebrows were furrowed in confusion. “What do you mean? Do what?”

“You know what I mean.”

Soobin didn’t. “No, I don’t.”

“I always thought you were going to kiss me.” Yeonjun shrugged as though saying it didn’t mean anything to him. “But you never did.”

Soobin looked up so fast it felt like he broke a muscle. Yeonjun looked hurt, but expectant. Hopeful. He stared at him, scanning his face, trying to find doubt in his stare.

He understood now. Yeonjun was not rejecting him. Quite the opposite, really.

“Did it frustrate you?” He stood up, towering over him, feeling brave all of a sudden. “That I didn’t kiss you?”

Yeonjun looked surprised. The pretty red appeared again, tinting his cheeks and it made Soobin laughed, but he wasn’t mocking, just endeared.

“Do you know why I keep doing that?”

Yeonjun shook his head. But he wasn’t looking at Soobin, embarrassed.

“Because I like making you blush.” He said softly, not to spite him, but because it was true. “You’re cute when you get flustered.”

That only made it worse. He sputtered. “Shut up!”

Soobin laughed, joy bubbling in his chest. Giddy. “I was just getting back at you. You did it first.”

Yeonjun opened his mouth but closed it again, like he didn’t know what to reply with. Because it was true - he did it first and made Soobin’s life miserable, pestering him with kisses and pinching him on the cheek, giving him compliments as if Soobin wouldn’t melt on the floor by his constant doting and affection.

“You did it first, you flirted with me _first,_ so why are you so flustered when I get back at you?” Soobin asked and it wasn’t teasing, he genuinely wanted to know.

“Because you make me nervous.” He said in an exhale, soft, _airy,_ as though Soobin could capture those words with his fingertips. Hearing them directly from Yeonjun’s mouth twisted Soobin’s stomach in knots – the fact that it was because of _him,_ the reason for Choi Yeonjun’s pretty blush was because of _him._

Soobin knocked their foreheads together. “I still don’t know what to do with you, hyung.”

Yeonjun pulled him close, his hands coming to his neck, tugging. “Kiss me, then.”

Soobin liked it. Yeonjun’s perfume, the way his fingers curled on the back of his neck. Liked the way he was looking at him now, with the same half-lidded eyes, glazed look back in Yeonjun’s room, back against the mirror, just the two of them.

“Soobinnie, I like you _a lot_.”

“Mhmhm. I like you a lot too.”

Soobin leaned in, and this time he didn’t back away, didn’t get distracted by anything else, and this time he gently kissed him, a firm press of their lips together. Yeonjun sighed softly into his mouth, like he was finally relieved, and it felt like coming home. Soobin knew Yeonjun waited for this, but he had waited for this too, for Yeonjun to coax his lips open and take whatever he wanted from him.

It was _searing,_ messy, but Soobin thought it was perfect, because it was Yeonjun here, in his arms, and he never wanted anything else.

When they pulled apart, Yeonjun was blushing. His cheeks were pretty red, as were his lips.

“You look good in red.” Soobin said.

Yeonjun just kissed him again.

*


End file.
